Driehaus Museum Explores Frank Lloyd Wright’s Relationship to Photography in New Exhibition from October 24, 2024 to January 5, 2025

This fall, the Driehaus Museum mounts “Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright,” the first exhibition to present the fascinating and unexplored topic of Wright’s own early photography as well as images by the leading photographers who documented his work. 

Frank Lloyd Wright had a fascination with photography, viewing it as a hobby as well as a way for his architecture to reach a broad public. With photos that appeared in publications such as LIFE magazine and Architectural Forum, the exhibition looks to provide insights into how photography influenced public perception of his work. 

Frank Lloyd Wright instinctively understood the power and potential of photography, relying on it to share his aesthetic vision and shape his public image. Although his architecture has been the subject of many exhibitions, none have surveyed Wright’s work through the eyes of the leading photographers with whom he collaborated. Furthermore, no exhibition has addressed the subject of Wright, himself, as a photographer.

“Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright” begins with the topic of Wright as a talented amateur photographer experimenting with new technology. Wright purchased a camera in the late nineteenth century, using it to capture landscapes and nature, family and friends, and the traditional architecture that inspired him during a 1905 trip to Japan. Early in his career, Wright also created self-portraits, carefully composed to express a confident, successful persona. New discoveries in the exhibition include a selection of Wright’s images depicting daily life and activities at the Hillside Home School in Wisconsin, which was owned by his aunts. 

Driehaus Museum Executive Director Lisa M. Key states, “As a museum of art, architecture, and design, the museum is fulfilling its mission by offering this unique exhibition that will enlighten Wright experts and enthusiasts alike, who will discover something new about this great architect whose story began here in Chicago.”

Guest Curator David Hanks adds, “This exhibition offers a new way of viewing Wright’s work and provides insight into how the creative approach of each photographer was shaped by their understanding of his architecture.”

The exhibition is organized thematically by the leading photographers who documented Wright’s career and includes Wright’s own photography. These compelling images, published in magazines and books, helped him attain widespread visibility and contributed to his fame. Architectural photographers in the exhibition include Henry Fuermann & Sons, Julius Shulman, Hedrich-Blessing, Ezra Stoller and Pedro Guerrero.

To complement the exhibition, the Museum is producing a series of audio commentaries about Wright’s photography that will be available on the Museum’s app. Lisa Key says, “We are very excited about the creation of new interpretive audio from a diverse range of experts that will engage a more expansive group of visitors.” 

The Driehaus Museum and the Frank Lloyd Trust, Chicago, are also collaborating on several public programs and educational series in the months of November and December 2024, that include exclusive half-day tours of the exhibition and Wright sites, an educators’ evening, and other engaging dialogues.

The first program, “Poetry and Architecture: A Workshop with Toby Altman,” occurs on Saturday, November 9, 2024 between 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Using the Wright exhibition and the Driehaus Museum itself as inspiration, this workshop will challenge ways of seeing architecture through a fresh perspective. Tickets are available at https://driehausmuseum.org/programs/detail/poetry-and-architecture-a-workshop-with-toby-altman.

The second, “Photography Workshop,” occurs on two dates in November; Saturday, November 9, at Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s Rookery Location (209 S. LaSalle Street) and then on Saturday, November 16, at the Driehaus Museum (50 E. Erie Street). Both workshops are between 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Using the Wright exhibition as inspiration, guests will learn what it takes to compose great architectural photos from a practicing photographer. Tickets are available at https://driehausmuseum.org/programs/detail/photography-workshop.

And finally, “Wright in Focus: Frank Lloyd Wright Bus Tour,” is a unique day tour of Wright’s Chicago sites. The bus tour will be offered over a number of dates in November and December 2024 (Wednesday, November 13, November 20, December 11, December 18, 10:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.). Tickets are available at flwright.org